HF 2765

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing for character 
  1.3             development education; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.4             2002, section 120B.23, as amended; proposing coding 
  1.5             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 120B. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [120B.225] [CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [POLICY.] As stated by Benjamin Franklin, 
  1.9   "only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.  As nations 
  1.10  become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters."  The 
  1.11  legislature recognizes the foundational principles of freedom 
  1.12  based on individual self-governance.  Citizens with positive and 
  1.13  constructive character qualities are necessary to maintain 
  1.14  American liberties and character development is an important 
  1.15  part of school curriculum. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION.] The 
  1.17  legislature encourages districts to integrate or offer 
  1.18  instruction on character education including, but not limited 
  1.19  to, character qualities such as attentiveness, truthfulness, 
  1.20  respect for authority, diligence, gratefulness, self-discipline, 
  1.21  forgiveness, and resourcefulness.  Districts are encouraged to 
  1.22  use programs such as Character First and Character Counts.  
  1.23  Instruction should be integrated into a district's existing 
  1.24  programs, curriculum, or the general school environment.  The 
  1.25  commissioner shall provide assistance at the request of a 
  2.1   district to develop character education curriculum and programs. 
  2.2      Subd. 3.  [FUNDING SOURCES.] The commissioner must first 
  2.3   use federal funds for character development education programs 
  2.4   to the extent available under United States Code, title 20, 
  2.5   section 7247.  Districts may accept funds from private and other 
  2.6   public sources for character development education programs 
  2.7   developed and implemented under this section. 
  2.8      [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective the day 
  2.9   following final enactment. 
  2.10     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 120B.23, as 
  2.11  amended by Laws 2003, chapter 150, section 12, is amended to 
  2.12  read: 
  2.13     120B.23 [VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 
  2.14  EDUCATION GRANTS.] 
  2.15     Subdivision 1.  [GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.] The 
  2.16  commissioner of education, after consulting with the assistant 
  2.17  commissioner of the Office of Drug Policy and Violence 
  2.18  Prevention, shall establish a violence prevention education and 
  2.19  character development education grant program to enable a school 
  2.20  district, an education district, or a group of districts that 
  2.21  cooperate for a particular purpose to develop and implement or 
  2.22  to continue a violence prevention program, character development 
  2.23  program, or both, for students in kindergarten through grade 12 
  2.24  that can be integrated into existing curriculum or the school 
  2.25  environment.  A district or group of districts that elects to 
  2.26  develop and implement or to continue a violence prevention 
  2.27  program under section 120B.22, a character development program 
  2.28  under section 120B.225, or both, is eligible to apply for a 
  2.29  grant under this section. 
  2.30     Subd. 2.  [GRANT APPLICATION.] To be eligible to receive a 
  2.31  grant, a school district, an education district, a service 
  2.32  cooperative, or a group of districts that cooperate for a 
  2.33  particular purpose must submit an application to the 
  2.34  commissioner in the form and manner and according to the 
  2.35  timeline established by the commissioner.  The application must 
  2.36  describe how the applicant will:  (1) continue or integrate into 
  3.1   its existing K-12 curriculum and on the school environment a 
  3.2   program for violence prevention that contains the program 
  3.3   components listed in section 120B.22, character development, or 
  3.4   both; (2) collaborate with local organizations involved in 
  3.5   violence prevention and intervention, character development, or 
  3.6   both; and (3) structure the program to reflect the 
  3.7   characteristics of the children, their families and the 
  3.8   community involved in the program.  The commissioner may require 
  3.9   additional information from the applicant.  When reviewing the 
  3.10  applications, the commissioner shall determine whether the 
  3.11  applicant has met the requirements of this subdivision. 
  3.12     Subd. 3.  [GRANT AWARDS.] The commissioner may award grants 
  3.13  for a violence prevention education program, character 
  3.14  development education program, or both, to eligible applicants 
  3.15  as defined in subdivision 2.  Grant amounts may not exceed $3 
  3.16  per resident pupil unit in the district or group of districts in 
  3.17  the prior school year.  Grant recipients should be 
  3.18  geographically distributed throughout the state. 
  3.19     Subd. 4.  [GRANT PROCEEDS.] A successful applicant must use 
  3.20  the grant money to develop and implement or to continue a 
  3.21  violence prevention program, character development program, or 
  3.22  both, according to the terms of the grant application. 
  3.23     [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective the day 
  3.24  following final enactment. 
  3.25     Sec. 3.  [APPROVAL STANDARD; VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND 
  3.26  CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION.] 
  3.27     Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner 
  3.28  may approve a fund transfer from any fund or account if the 
  3.29  district requesting the transfer demonstrates to the 
  3.30  commissioner's satisfaction that the fund or account has a 
  3.31  surplus balance, the amount transferred will not negatively 
  3.32  impact curriculum and classroom instruction needs of the 
  3.33  district or the purpose of the fund amount being transferred, 
  3.34  and that the amount transferred will be spent on services for 
  3.35  violence prevention education, character development education, 
  3.36  or both. 
  4.1      [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective the day 
  4.2   following final enactment.